The Civil War in the Western Territories: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah [Paperback]

Ray C. Colton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1984

Between 1861 and 1865 the violent struggles of the Civil War extended into the Western Territories, where they were complicated by the involvement of the Indians. The Confederate leaders had planned to annex a corridor from the Rio Grande in Texas to the California coast. Thus they would have had a pathway to the Pacific Ocean, areas rich in minerals, new territory for the expansion of slavery, and valuable military stores and equipment. They soon found that the land was more difficult to conquer than they had anticipated. The people of the Western Territories for the most part remained loyal to the Union, and the Confederate vision of empire failed to materialize.

The emphasis in this book is on the Union campaigns against the Confederates and the Indians who sought to take advantage of the confusion of the Civil War. Yet it is also shown that the Western Territories came of age as a result of the conflict. When the Confederate invasion had been repelled, the Union leaders undertook vigorous campaigns for extermination or settlement of the Indians on reservations. Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah all acquired their present boundaries and patterns of state government during the Civil War period.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ray C. Colton is Professor of Continuing Education in Brigham Young University and retired of the Institute of Religion, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the University of California at Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (September 15, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806119020
• ISBN-13: 978-0806119021
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Civil War in the Western Territories, April 25, 2000

By 

Jeff Richards (utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Civil War in the Western Territories: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah (Paperback)

This book was a very interesting one. I liked the fact that Colton covered several different conflict that happened during the Civil War. In the first chapter he gives some background on eac of the territories. In chapet two he talkes about the Confederat action in each of these states. Chapter three gives some background on the troops fron Colorado. The chapter that really impressed me was chapter seven, this chapter was about the effect the indians had on the War.In the last chapter he puts some closure to what the states did after the War. There was one thing that I did not like about the book and that was the way he used names in this book. Everytime he used a name he would use the full name for example Lieutnant colonel Edward R. Eyrethe first time and after that he could have said Lieutenant Colonel Eyre. This made me very frustrated having to read the long name every time. Overall this book worked for me. I liked the structure of this book. He used some good maps and photos of some of the individuals that were talked about in the book. I would reccommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Civil War in the West.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Primer on the ACW in the Southwest US, December 1, 2010

By 

Jason Coffey "The truth is out there." (Las Vegas, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Civil War in the Western Territories: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah (Paperback)

This was the second book I had found on the American Civil War in the Southwest United States. I wish I had discovered it when I was in grade school when it was originally published, and I lived in Albuquerque.

Of the various books I own on the subject, I recommend this one as the most concise over-view of the little discussed battles in Arizona and New Mexico. While not the easiest read, it is the best of its weight.

He covers not just the actions against the Confederates, but also against the American Indians who took advantage of the displaced regular army units pulled back east to cause some havoc. This book covers the major battles, and touches on the associated skirmishes. It does not delve into too many of the personalities and their reasons, but it does address a number of them. Nor does it cover the variety of ethnic issues that were present in this campaign.